Ecology of the Planted Aquarium: A Practical Manual and Scientific Treatise for the Home Aquarist Hardcover – January 1, 2013

This gives you the info to try (MAYBE?) something a little different with a tank or bowl...a really good read,I have to give the author credit for putting it together so well, I think she did quite an admirable job on thisbook!

The title is *very* descriptive. This book uses science instead of relying on the conventional wisdom, which is so often wrong, or the many myths about planted aquaria. Yet it is a practical and accessible text for the home hobbyist.Many books on tropical fish and planted aquaria are little more than a concatenations of captioned postcards -- attractive color photographs with sparse, slightly informative text. Generally they follow the current trends or parrot the conventional wisdom, which has often proven to be wrong or misguided. But _Ecology of the Planted Aquarium_ is a refreshing change from the glut of "postcard" books available on aquaria. If you want pictures, this is not your book -- but there is no shortage of those to choose from.Rather than merely repeat the conventional wisdom or trumpet a new and contrary view, this author has diligently researched what happens in a planted aquarium AND explored hypotheses to explain the results. It set a new standard for books on the subject by replacing anecdotal arguments, didacticism, marketing promises, and myth with science. Many aquatic gardening experts consider this now a standard text to read (and have for reference) if you want to keep planted aquaria.Extensive references are included so that sources, scientific studies, etc. can be traced back for further research. This book reveals in a well-organized manner the complex chemical relationships in a typical hobbyist planted aquarium. As such, it can serve as a primer and key reference work for hobbyists. Hopefully, it will also stimulate discussion and serve as stalking horse for further research into this complex subject. Although necessarily technical, it is not unduly so nor does it demand of the reader any specialized education.While the author does have a stated personal preference for simple, "low-tech," inexpensive methods, she lays out the basic science that underlays all methods, including "high-tech." Thus, this book, more than any other I have seen on the subject, provides a foundation for explaining why divergent and even contrary methods of setting up and maintaining planted aquaria can be equally successful.If you plan of having a planted aquarium, you owe it to yourself to get this book.

This volume contains a wealth of information; it covers its topic thoroughly and in great detail, if also with a good deal of repetition. Reading the book straight through I was annoyed by its repetitiveness, though this makes it more, not less, useful as a reference work, which, like most readers, is how I will most use it in the future. The author knows what she is talking about; her conclusions seem scientifically sound and, for the most part, are based on experimental data, many of which are included. Her presentation of anecdotal evidence is helpful as well. Her writing, in addition to its redundancy, was also replete with errors in both grammar and syntax, which I found quite annoying; these would have benefitted greatly from more vigorous proofreading. To those who wish to read this book front to back, as I did, I recommend doing so with paper and pencil in hand; summarizing its most salient points as one goes will greatly help one navigate the otherwise relatively dense text. This book is probably best appreciated by readers who have a firm grasp of at least undergraduate level biology and chemistry, but its conclusions should be useful to almost anyone interested in aquarium keeping. With that caveat, I strongly recommend this book for the deeper insight it offers to all, even the most experienced, aquarists. It's a flawed gem, but a gem nonetheless; I know of no other publication like it.

Great scientific breakdown of Dirt tank basics. Easy reading and very clear. Explains the Walstad System with language that you can understand.

This is a great reference book for planted aquariums. It discusses and provides useful information on just about every aspect of that type of aquarium. You don't need to treat the recommendations as the last word in how to keep a nice tank - just try to understand how the many variables affect the tank. Some of the information in the book is, in my opinion incorrect or misleading or incomplete, but this hobby is growing so fast that I would never expect any one book to be 100% accurate. For example: the book refers to light intensity as if it is something you pour into the water, instead of what it really is, a beam of energy whose intensity drops off the farther you get from the source. Specifying light intensity without also specifying where in the tank the measurement is taken cannot ever be accurate unless the sun is the light source. Another example is allelopathy: if it is at all significant in an aquarium, and given that activated charcoal will remove the allelopathic secretiions, every tank that is filtered with activated charcoal will show very significant differences from tanks not so filtered. But, they don't.Even with my criticisms, I will use this repeatedly as a reference book, and hope to benefit greatly by doing so.

It was everything I expected... Very good.

La mejor forma de profundizar en el tema

Fabulous book that I have wanted for a lonnnng time. Never been able to afford the hardback. So pleased to find this available in soft cover now. Thank you, Thank you.

Muito esclarecedor, a autora fez uma pesquisa detalhada de cada tema, o que ajuda a compreender bem toda a dinâmica do aquário plantado. Recomendo!

It's such an informative book. Well researched. The fundamentals discussed are timeless and once understood can be applied to current available technology.